DJI Air 2S Dethrones the Mavic 2 Pro? - full review with 5.4k footage

A full review of the DJI Air 2S compared to the Mavic Air 2 and the Mavic 2 Pro.

The new DJI Air 2S is a big leap from the Mavic Air 2. The sensor seems to be the same one used int he Mavic 2 Pro but with more processing power. It shoots a clean 5.4k video image in 10bit Dlog.

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SkyGrades Mavic Air 2

SkyGrades for Mavic 2 Pro

Follow Along:

0:00 Intro
0:43 Overview
1:03 New Sensor
1:36 Resolution
2:20 Focal Length
2:57 O3 Transmission System
4:04 Color Grading
4:24 Sensor Noise
4:51 Downsides
5:29 Who Should Buy

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All in one: DJI Air 2S has all you need
#DJIAir2S #DJI

[thefilmpoets]

SkyGrades has been updated for the Air 2S. Now the colors match the Hasselblad Camera of the Mavic 2 Pro!
A couple of things I didn't get to mention :
-After spending more time with it, I've realized that the Air 2S colors aren't perfect out of the box. When compared to the Mavic 2 Pro, they're lacking warmth and depth. After hours of work, I've update all SkyGrades presets for the Air 2S to match the colors of the Mavic 2 Pro. 

Further things to keep in mind,
-1080p 120fps kinda sucks. If slow motion is important, I think the Air 2 may have this beat.
-4k 60p crops the image a to a 1.3x crop or so. Aside from using this as a slow mo mode, you can use this as a crop only mode by shooting and playing the footage back at 80% in a 24fps timeline. Although that's always possible in post if shooting 5.4k

-Matt

[stevenojobs]

The improved camera performance and the Ocusync 3.0 already got me hyped to get the DJI Air 2S, but of course we’re getting more than that like the FocusTrack 4.0 and the addition of the upward sensor. Really amazing upgrades!

[npc]

Enthused to get the new DJI Air 2S!!! When aerial photography/cinematography is your bread and butter, you always have to try and improve your content especially with the image quality and the editing. It’s always a good idea to invest on new upgrades and features.

[davey]

I was able to hold back many times from getting a new drone or shall I say, upgrading my first drone which was the DJI Mavic Air I got years ago, but now might be the perfect time for me to finally cave in and catch up with all these upgrades. The features on the DJI Air 2S are definitely tempting!!!

[spicer]

Perfect timing! Been saving up to invest on a good camera drone and the DJI Air 2S came out which happens to have excellent camera specs. Wonder how good the footage will look with this drone.

[gabrielnorman]

DJI drones are getting better and smarter by the year! Not only that but the amount of technology they put into each drones becomes more affordable with every upgrade. In a way, you're getting more even though you're paying less!

[AutoDetailerStudio]

Honest, direct and to the point. What more could one ask for in a review!

[geezerpleasers_OG]

This is one of the best videos I have seen to compare the two drones. I appreciate your comments about the oversharpening in the Mavic 2 Pro and the marked improvement in the Air 2S. I have found the sharpening in the M2P to be quite jarring at times. In some videos I shot of mountain peaks against a cloudless sky, the outline of the mountains looked like someone did a crude selection of the mountains and then copy/pasted them onto a blue background.

[PatrickConlon]

Beautiful footage + relaxing background music = The best! Thank you The Film Poets for all your effort to show us this nice location and your great work! The very smooth flight you have here and I love the shots at 2:54, 4:17, and 5:33! Keep it up, mate! I am looking forward to seeing more of your videos!

[BackusCreativeImaging]

Finally someone who's review didn't irritate me by throwing out incorrect terms like equating "adjustable" aperture with "variable" aperture. You know what you're talking about. I immediately noticed the price to quality ratio. I've owned the Mavic 2 Pro and Mavic 2 Zoom for a little over 2 years now. I just bought and picked up two Air 2S fly more kit drones at the local Best Buy. I am selling my old drones this weekend on my eBay. I am a part 107 remote pilot. I will make a tutorial in a few days on how to use the DSC Labs ChromaMatch Pro color chart to make a DLOG-M to Rec709-like LUT in Resolve with accurate color. I will primarily shoot in 5.4K and then zoom in the edit when needed. It will be a solid 1080p even at like 55mm so that's great. I love the 22mm focal length. 28mm on Mavic 2 Pro wasn't ideal for my types of shots. As for lack of adjustable aperture, I just use the most ideal ND filter and when shutter speed needs to be increased slightly I'll just use motion estimated motion blur in Resolve to fake the 180 degree shutter angle when it is a bit off at times. I will miss the Cinelike profile from the Mavic 2 Zoom but overall this Air 2S drone combines the best of the Mavic 2 line :)

[rocheuro]

your channel is another level in terms of quality, lights and just much more professional (something like Do.Art.Now), you honestly deserve much more views and audience! keep a great work about settings, drones, reviews, and color science. great job.

[AndyMumford]

Great review again Matt. always the first review I look for when it comes to drones.  
I've been happy with the Mavic 2 Pro since it first came out, the camera was so good that I often thought it's probably as good as I need. Even an APS-C sensor wouldn't feel like a massive step up, that drone was so good. As a hiker and landscape photographer though, I'm always looking to shed weight from my pack but never wanted to do it to the detriment of image quality that would come with the Air 2, so when I saw the rumours for this it was the first time since the M2P came out that my interest in a new drone was piqued. I've just hit the "purchase" button because it's pretty clear that in IQ terms with that sensor and the faster bit rate, this is going to be every bit as good, if not better than the M2P. For sure there'll be a Mavic Pro 3 at some point, and for sure it will have to have an even better camera (although I suspect any improvements will be incremental rather than essential), but it certainly won't have the benefit of being as smaller and light as this. So for me, this is the perfect upgrade from the MP2 and I'm super stoked to get out and start flying it. (I was kind of hoping for it to be compatible with the FPV goggles thought, I think DJI missed a trick there).
Great review Matt, all the best from Portugal

[ketamrebus]

No reason for me to upgrade my ma2..unless the air 2s has the side sensor and manual aperture setting..thanks to this video✌

[drone.shots.by.dennis]

Great review! I like your presentations, just calm and relax. You do it well! Great work.

[stilmotionpicture]

thank you for the review! I just picked up the Air S2 but ill be keeping my Mavic 2 Pro! your content is sooo inspiring! I tend to run to your content compared to other Youtubers!

[BardhokNdoji]

I don't know. Variable aperture could a deal-breaker for some professionals.

[DevAcharya]

Waiting for the Davinci resolve tutorial master class 😍😍

[postandfly]

Hey i really like your content, just i want to say that the HDR of the Air 2 is not real HDR because is rec 709 and the AIr 2S has HDR is called HLG and is 100% real HDR footage in Rec 2020.

[UrbexWonderland]

The lack of aperture control for fine exposure adjustments is a deal breaker for me. I also prefer the colour straight out of the Mavic 2 Pro, it looks more organic.

[GWASadventures]

Best drone ever! I love to use HLG in my movies! Drone is tough! Fast! Stable! And camera is just perfect! Mavic Air 2s is unstoppable! 👍